Tuesday, 9 October 2012

If I Lie by Corrine Jackson

If I Lie

Corrine Jackson

Simon Pulse

[August 28, 2012]

A powerful debut novel about the gray space between truth and perception.

Quinn’s
done the unthinkable: she kissed a guy who is not Carey, her boyfriend.
And she got caught. Being branded a cheater would be bad enough, but
Quinn is deemed a traitor, and shunned by all of her friends. Because
Carey’s not just any guy—he’s serving in Afghanistan and revered by
everyone in their small, military town.

Quinn could clear her
name, but that would mean revealing secrets that she’s vowed to
keep—secrets that aren’t hers to share. And when Carey goes MIA, Quinn
must decide how far she’ll go to protect her boyfriend…and her promise.

I went into If I Lie knowing it'd be emotional and a tough read. However, I couldn't anticipate my own connections and heart going into this book.

Quinn was a fantastic protagonist. She wasn't perfect. She could be snarky and she could antagonize and she has a hard time forgiving. But she was a good person. Loyal and dedicated and fiercely protective of those she loved. She's been hurt and betrayed so many times in her life, she's not sure what to do or who she really is. I really related to Quinn for these reasons and I think a lot of other people can too.

The story Corrine Jackson put together was incredible and stressful and complicated but also simple and elegant and powerful. If I Lie says a lot about society and our judgements and the cultures we develop in communities. And it was just...such a different story from the norm in YA. It was something unique, something I hadn't read before. And I fell absolutely, head over heels in love with it.

This book, as I mentioned, is incredibly emotional. I read it straight through, sitting in my bed in this dorm, and had to fight not to cry since my roommate was a few feet away. Veterans and military service have been a big part of my family's life and I have a few friends who joined the military after graduation. We all know someone who's been there. It makes it so easy to connect to this story and understand all the pain and frustration and heartache, not just from Quinn, but from her whole community. It's easy to get why they're angry and upset. And then things happen I can't talk about that make you MORE EMOTIONAL and guys just so many feels I can't even what was that that happened to my heart?

As you can see, I read this recently and I'm still trying to cope with all of the feelings If I Lie gave me. It was incredible and will definitely stick with me. Corrine Jackson is, without a doubt, an author to keep an eye on.

5 comments:

I just read this last week and like you, I read it in one sitting and had to try my hardest not to cry (since I was in public at the time.) I was so impressed by this book and I can't wait to read whatever Corinne Jackson writes next! Great review!